Embiid signs rookie deal with 76ers

PHILADELPHIA – Joel Embiid used Twitter to announce he signed his rookie contract with the 76ers on Tuesday, only hours after general manager Sam Hinkie touched on a number of topics, including the No. 3 overall draft pick's social media exploits, during a conference call with reporters.

"I told him I want him to take over my Twitter account," Hinkie said. "Maybe my followers will pick up. I think I'm at 20 or so right now."

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Embiid has received a great deal of attention for his occasionally racy but generally good-natured tweets. The 20-year-old Cameroon native and former Kansas center, who's likely to miss the entire upcoming NBA season recovering from surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right foot, has collected more than 343,000 followers while using his feed to try to recruit LeBron James to the Sixers and woo Rihanna and Kim Kardashian.

"I think he's, for a Twitter newbie, I think he's found the line in a way that is entertaining and people have had lots of laughs," Hinkie said. "Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of February or late in March or in the middle of a road trip where some of that humor doesn't go over quite as well. He's adjusted pretty well so far.

"Maybe he'll touch the stove and get burned a time or two," he said, "but I think he'll find his way and be fine. But you can be assured it is the sort of thing we talk about."

Hinkie emphasized the importance of acquiring Miami's top-10 protected 2015 first-round draft pick as part of the compensation for trading veteran power forward Thaddeus Young to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. The Sixers also received Russian guard Alexey Shved and Cameroonian forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who is expected to help ease Embiid's transition to the NBA.

By trading Young, who was the longest-tenured player on the roster, the Sixers have little veteran leadership other than Mbah a Moute, a role player, and Jason Richardson, who didn't play a game last season and continues rehab from knee surgery.

"It is important for our young players to be able to have other players to look up to," Hinkie said, "to have players that can show them the way, to talk about the intricacies of the league. ... Thad was obviously helpful on that front to us. … [But] a lot of that responsibility, even last year, fell to our coaching staff ... and I think they did a remarkable job of that."

Other notable topics Hinkie discussed:

• Reigning NBA rookie of the year Michael Carter-Williams, who had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder in May, has not yet been cleared to resume practicing five-on-five.

• Spending enough money to hit the NBA's salary floor is "not something that's a particular concern for us." The Sixers are roughly $30 million under $63.065 million salary cap, but the only penalty for failing to reach the $56.759 million floor is distributing the remaining funds among players on the roster.

• Hinkie said it's "a bit early" to comment on any potential changes to the NBA draft lottery, which is being discussed in league circles, reportedly in response to the Sixers effectively tanking each of the last two seasons.

"There has been some discussion about that," he said. "We will look along with everyone else to what transpires there. Like a lot of teams, the draft will continue to be a big part of what we do."

• Hinkie said he thinks Sixers fans are showing "optimism" regarding the team's tactics and consider them "bold."

• Nerlens Noel, who missed all of last season recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, cleared all of the team's medical benchmarks and protocol with 10 to 15 days remaining in the regular season. He's had a "pretty good summer."

• The Sixers never had any discussions with Minnesota or Cleveland to acquire Anthony Bennett, contrary to last month's widely circulated report by the Philadelphia Daily News, which had the 2013 top overall pick being dealt to Philadelphia as part of the Young trade. The Sixers also haven't discussed any deals involving Cavaliers guard Dion Waiters, a Philadelphia native.

"If you keep track of the rumors that have been out there about us, a very, very small percentage have turned out to be true," Hinkie said. "I can tell you unequivocally, we didn't have any conversations or any discussions about Anthony Bennett."

Minor trade

The 76ers acquired center Hasheem Thabeet and cash from Oklahoma City on Tuesday, according to a source, in exchange for a protected 2015 second-round pick they won't have to convey. The Thunder also received a $1.25 million traded player exception.

The Sixers plan to release Thabeet, whose $1.25 million contract this season doesn't become guaranteed until Sept. 1.

The 7-foot-3, defensive-minded Tanzanian has been a major disappointment since the Memphis Grizzlies selected him out of Connecticut with the second overall pick in the 2009 draft.